Mayuri Kurotsuchi
"}} | race = Soul | birthday = March 30''Bleach'' Official Character Book Souls, page 158 | gender = Male | height = 174 cm (5'8½") | weight = 54 kg (119 lbs.) | affiliation = Gotei 13, Soul Society, S.R.D.I. | profession = Shinigami | position = Captain of the 12th Division, President of the S.R.D.I. | previous position = 3rd Seat of the 12th Division Vice-President of the S.R.D.I. | division = 12th Division | partner =Nemuri Hachigō Akon | previous partner = Kisuke Urahara Hiyori Sarugaki Nemu Kurotsuchi | base of operations = Seireitei, Soul Society | education = Shin'ō Academy | relatives = Nemu Kurotsuchi (created daughter, deceased) Nemuri Hachigō (created daughter) | shikai = Ashisogi Jizō | bankai = Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō | manga debut = Volume 10, Chapter 81 | anime debut = Episode 24 | video game debut = Bleach Advance: Kurenai | japanese voice = Ryūsei Nakao | english voice = Terrence Stone | spanish voice = Luis Fenton (Spain) Juan Alfonso Carralero (Latin) }} is the captain of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and 2nd president of the Shinigami Research Institute. His previous lieutenant was Nemu Kurotsuchi, his artificially-created "daughter" and his current lieutenant is Akon. He formerly served as the 3rd Seat of the 12th Division under Kisuke Urahara. Appearance Mayuri's appearance has a skeletal look to it with a skull-like visage. His face is painted entirely white with the inner portion of his face painted black with the exception of his nose. His eyes are a golden color and he constantly bares his teeth giving the appearance of him constantly smiling. Both his ears are seemingly replaced with stubbed golden cones. His fingernails are blue and, with the exception of the fingernail on his right middle finger, are all short. The one long fingernail is as long as the finger itself. He also wears a white hat with two ends that point to his right and a large purple scarf around his neck. His whole body, even his face and hands, has been painted black and white. He repaints his make-up every morning, as he always removes it before going to bed.Bleach Official Bootleg KaraBuri+, page 111 Without his makeup, Mayuri has blue hair and honey gold eyes. He has small, slatted portcullises with multiple earrings in place of where his ears would be, and his body is covered in scars.Bleach manga; Chapter 172, pages 12-13 Upon entering Hueco Mundo, Mayuri reveals a new look: his face paint had changed with him creating a black cross upon the center of his face covering everything but his nose and a small portion of his lower chin. His ear attachments have become shorter and rounder but wider, his chin has a long golden attachment reminiscent of an Egyptian Pharaoh beard, his teeth have become a golden color, and he no longer wears a hat as there is a golden frame around his face. His hair is also styled into "horns," that slope down from the top of his head and frame his face, which when viewed from the front looks much like a Pharaoh's crown.Bleach manga; Chapter 298, page 17 17 months after Aizen's defeat, Mayuri displays another new look. The black face paint covers much of his face, leaving thin white lines going up his face and a white nose. He wears a long, golden headdress which curves back to his mid back. Underneath his chin are two opposite facing strands from the mask. On the backside of the headdress the Twelfth Division symbol is painted.Bleach manga; Chapter 480, page 3 Following the first invasion by the Wandenreich, Mayuri dons a bright white overcoat with many ridges on the front. The overcoat also has a hood that has many protrusions that give the appearance of a sun. The shoes he wears have changed to be a plain white pair with the shoes splitting into opposite points at the toe.Bleach manga; Chapter 547, pages 13-14 Under this outfit he has styled his hair into three loops, and his ears are covered by three large golden tubes that wrap around the sides of his head. Bleach manga; Chapter 638, pages 10-12 10 years after Yhwach's defeat, Mayuri's face is painted to resemble a white-and-black mask, with the white portion circling his forehead and covering his upper lip and nose, while the black portions consist of his lower lip, chin, and most of his forehead as well as the area around his eyes. He now wears a large golden headpiece resembling a pair of ram's horns curling backward behind his head.Bleach manga; Chapter 685, page 6 110 years ago, Mayuri's appearance was similar to his current appearances, but with minimal details. He was still largely painted white except for the black paint which was arranged around his eyes like a large domino mask. He had gold cones covering his ears and blue hair combed back on the top of his head. While developing the Nemuri Project, Mayuri's makeup consisted of black, geometrical shapes covering the area of his face above his nose and mouth, with thick lines extending to his jaw, and he retained the gold cones on his ears while donning an oddly-shaped hat.Bleach manga; Chapter 642, pages 6-7 Personality Mayuri Kurotsuchi is a researcher and personifies the stereotype of the mad scientist. By his early actions during the Ryoka Invasion, he is displayed as sadistic and cruel. He sees everyone and everything not as a living being, but as an object to be researched—including himself.Bleach manga; Chapter 121, pages 10-12 He has little respect or regard for most others, and was even willing to turn his own men (who were not aware of his plans) into living bombs in an attempt to capture Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue for experimentation.Bleach manga; Chapter 120, pages 20-21''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 121, pages 2-5 He also withheld vital information about the Bounts from the other Shinigami in order to capture one as a research subject for himself.Bleach anime; Episode 71 However, while he usually shows disregard for life, he has been known to warn people of possible dangers when they present themselves.Bleach manga; Chapter 307, page 7 Bleach manga; Chapter 381, page 302 As a scientist, Mayuri despises perfection, as he believes that achieving such a state leaves him with absolutely nothing more to strive for — namely imagination, knowledge and improvements — which would result in nothing but despair; because of this, he derided Szayelaporro Granz for claiming to be a "perfect life form".Bleach manga; Chapter 306, pages 3-6 It is known that Mayuri's favorite food is pike fish, and that he does not like onion. One of his free-time activities is reading every character published in Seireitei Communication. He himself publishes a serialization in the journal, titled "Effective Medication for the Brain", which apparently contains detailed instructions on preparation of medicine and their application. Surprisingly, it is highly popular among the readers. In battle, Mayuri likes to toy with his opponent, torturing them little by little until they can hardly stand. He did this in both the fight with Uryū and his Espada counterpart Szayelaporro. Every time he fights he uses it as an experiment testing himself and his opponent little by little. He also uses it as an opportunity to implant microbes or other things in case they get away. Before engaging, though, he will make extensive research on his possible opponents to tilt the chance of winning in his favor.Bleach manga; Chapter 303, pages 11-12 Before the Winter War, he is busy reading in the library with a note on the door saying, "Enter and Die."Bleach anime; Episode 138 Mayuri's utter disregard for life even extends to the rest of the Gotei 13, believing that all members of the organization are to be prepared to give up their lives in order to protect the Seireitei. To this end, he would gladly cut down any former comrades, even if they are under the enemy's control,Bleach manga; Chapter 591, pages 12-14 test many of his experimental drugs on such comrades for the sake of his research which he believes to be the sake of the Seireitei,Bleach manga; Chapter 592, page 17 and even force his zombified fellow captains to become his minions to fight to their last breath for the sake of Gotei 13 and Soul Society, as opposed to killing them out of mercy.Bleach manga; Chapter 596, pages 12-13 Despite his disregard for most life, Mayuri is very obsessive about creating it, and it is his dream to create a soul out of nothing.Bleach manga; Chapter 642, pages 6-7 This led to him being overjoyed when the seventh test of the Nemuri Project was successful.Bleach manga; Chapter 642, page 4 History .]] Little is known about the early history of Mayuri, except that 110 years ago, he was the only prisoner in the Maggot's Nest who was considered dangerous enough to necessitate confinement in a small prison cell, chained to the wall by his ankle. He would, however, one day be visited by Kisuke Urahara who was seeking his genius to become vice-president in the newly thought-of Shinigami Research and Development Institute, a request that would automatically get him out of there. At first Mayuri refused, until Kisuke began teasing him with the fact that he had nothing to tinker with down there and that, as vice-president, he would inherit everything should something happen to Urahara.Bleach manga; Chapter -105, pages 4-8 At some point, Mayuri read a book detailing the functions of the arms of the Soul King, where he learned that the right arm is in charge of "stopping" while the left arm is in charge of "advancing".Bleach manga; Chapter 639, page 6 9 years later, while walking through the Seireitei with Kisuke Urahara and Hiyori Sarugaki, they were greeted by 5th Division Captain Shinji Hirako and his Lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen. Mayuri expressed distaste for Shinji as he refused to call Mayuri by his full name and only called him by his first, which was too familiar for Mayuri's liking. He acted uninterested in the conversation between Urahara and Aizen who was explaining that the 9th Division had been sent on a special investigation to find out what was happening with the disappearances in the Rukongai.Bleach manga; Chapter -104, pages 4-9 During her brief time as a member of the institute, Hiyori served as a lab manager, which resulted in clashes with Mayuri, who was then 3rd Seat & Vice-President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, over who had more authority under the captain. The two constantly got into an ongoing argument about who was in charge, prompting Hiyori to call in Urahara. He explained to her that with the disappearances occurring he had created a new type of Gigai. Before Hiyori could respond they were interrupted by the arrival of Tōdō Izaemon, the 6th Seat of the 9th Division. Urahara agreed to send a researcher over to the investigation site as per the request of Captain Kensei Muguruma of the 9th Division. Urahara elected Hiyori to go to the site, to which she became irritated and asked why he couldn't send someone less important, referring to lab assistant Akon. He questioned if she should continue being a lieutenant prompting Hiyori to attack him, though he simply dodged her. Though reluctant, Hiyori gave in once Urahara explained that she was the only one that he could trust with the task.Bleach manga; Chapter -103, pages 8-13 After an incident that got Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi banished and several captains and seated officers Hollowfied, Mayuri later succeeded Urahara in leading the Research and Development Institute. At some point, Mayuri began developing the Nemuri Project, which he used to modify his Zanpakutō. This development allowed him to succeed Urahara as captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13. In the project, he eventually created new life from "godly soul cells" in the form of Nemu, which made him extremely happy.Bleach manga; Chapter 642, pages 3-4 Though he claimed that creating new souls from nothing was the dream of any Shinigami, Mayuri believed that having a dream while awake was foolish and reflected that in the ironic name of the project. Years later, after the issue of Shinigami being killed in Naruki City was solved, Mayuri listened to Isshin Shiba's report about his findings in a captains' meeting. Although the Captain-Commander was willing to overlook Isshin's violation of rules, Mayuri expressed his displeasure at how Isshin couldn't bring back the body of the "Mysterious Hollow".Bleach manga; Chapter 533, page 14 He also experimented on Quincy, including Sōken Ishida, Uryū's master and grandfather, in his studies. He was disappointed to learn that Uryū was a Quincy because he considered his study of the Quincy complete and did not want any further Quincy specimens.Bleach manga; Chapter 123, pages 14-18 Plot Soul Society arc Bount arc (anime only) Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Arrancar arc When Yamamoto calls the Gotei 13 captains for an emergency meeting, Mayuri is among those that attend.Bleach manga; Chapter 188, page 17 The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (anime only) Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Hueco Mundo arc Mayuri later appears in Hueco Mundo to assist Renji Abarai and Uryū Ishida in dealing with Szayelaporro Granz alongside his lieutenant, Nemu.Bleach manga; Chapters 298-299 Szayelaporro attempts to use his Resurrección's voodoo ability and, at first, seemed to have easily beaten Mayuri. Suddenly, Mayuri stands up and taunts Szayelaporro which causes the Espada to continue to destroy organs, but this time it has no effect. As it turns out, Mayuri had taken precautions against this ability by implanting himself with fake organs, having studied the technique beforehand using data from bacteria he implanted within Uryū during their last battle (much to Uryū's annoyance).Bleach manga; Chapters 299 & 303 Szayelaporro then takes Nemu captive, but Mayuri releases his Bankai and devours Szayelaporro with it. Szayelaporro uses the rebirth power of his Resurrección to recreate himself inside Nemu, but in doing so is affected by chemicals contained inside Nemu's body.Bleach manga; Chapters 303-304 Mayuri is highly intrigued by this new power, and requests to see what other powers his opponent has. To give him what he asked for, Szayelaporro uses his possession ability to control Mayuri's Bankai, but Mayuri already had countermeasures set in place for just that possibility; his Bankai self-destructs, reverting to its sealed state.Bleach manga; Chapter 305, pages 12-16 Mayuri, disappointed at Szayelaporro's lack of any further abilities, explains that by recreating himself inside Nemu, Szayelaporro is now dosed with one of many special drugs placed inside her body. The one he just absorbed is a sense-enhancing chemical that he instantly names a 'superhuman drug', as it were. The drug increases Szayelaporro's senses to the point that his body falls grossly behind and cannot move, paralyzing him as seconds become centuries. Mayuri then berates Szayelaporro for his statement as a scientist that he was the perfect being. He then proceeds to pierce Szayelaporro's hand and continues to slowly thrust his Zanpakutō through to Szayelaporro's heart, wishing him a pleasant eternity, before breaking off the blade as the ultimate torture for Szayelaporro and also as punishment for his Zanpakutō striking at its master.Bleach manga; Chapters 305-306 After searching for Szayelaporro's laboratory throughout the rubble, he realizes that he cannot ask Nemu for help. Musing that she is such a "pain in the ass", he revives Nemu with rather odd and possibly very explicit means and has her dig out Szayelaporro's laboratory, within which are a pair of bodies suspended from the ceiling.Bleach manga; Chapter 306, pages 10-18 After this he continues to heal Uryū and Renji, the latter being healed first so he could go and help in the other concurrent fights.Bleach manga; Chapter 307, pages 4-6 Once he is finished healing Uryū, he gives him an anti-Arrancar mine that he invented.Bleach manga; Chapter 344, page 6 Fake Karakura Town arc When Byakuya Kuchiki tells Ichigo Kurosaki to go back to Karakura Town, Ichigo complains that he could not get back that easily on his own, and that Kisuke Urahara was not there to open the Garganta. Mayuri then suddenly appears behind the group with Nemu pushing a loaded wagon behind him and complains about the fact that Ichigo is constantly fixated on Urahara. He then notes how Ichigo used no honorifics to address him, but muses about the fact that he was better than Byakuya and Kenpachi, whom Ichigo would only address using their given names.Bleach manga; Chapter 380, pages 12-13 Byakuya takes notice of his unusually lenient mood and asks if it has something to do with the wagon behind him. Mayuri confirms this and tells him that he is in a good mood because, not only has he found some "spoils of war", but at the same place he was also able to analyze the structure of the Garganta. When Ichigo questions his statement, Mayuri begins to rant about what he had learned and orders Nemu to make preparations to send the substitute Shinigami to the Human world. When Ichigo further complains, Mayuri explains to Ichigo that this process was an experiment, and that Ichigo is "Test Subject Number 1" and therefore, he has no right to refuse or to accept.Bleach manga; Chapter 380, pages 13-14 Retsu Unohana then arrives and says she'll accompany Ichigo back. Mayuri is surprised that she'd offer to be a test subject too, but she smiles and says that she has faith in him and that she believes the experiment will be a success. Besides that, if Mayuri failed to make a Garganta, even after analyzing information found in Hueco Mundo, then Urahara would laugh at him. Mayuri reminds her that he could close the Garganta during the transfer, which she merely acknowledges as being true. Unohana only says that she expects no less. He then opens the Garganta to let both Ichigo and Unohana through.Bleach manga; Chapter 380, pages 15-19 Before Ichigo leaves with Unohana, Ichigo tells Mayuri how he is similar to Kisuke, which infuriates him. After Ichigo leaves, Mayuri comments to himself how fascinating Ichigo is and how he will formulate a plan to torment Ichigo.Bleach manga; Chapter 381, pages 2-5 Byakuya then asks Mayuri why he didn't go to the Human World as well. Mayuri merely replies that there are multiple more interesting specimens in Hueco Mundo and will simply use the Garganta after the war to study the Living World more. Byakuya then suggests that Mayuri has faith in Ichigo's abilities to end the war.Bleach manga; Chapter 381 Mayuri oversees the checking of the pillars to determine if they are all free of anomalies. As check is completed he initiates the activation of the world shifting bond posts. He is interrupted by one of his subordinates who tells him that he needs to wait as there are Shinigami in the town and a material world transfer without the aid of a Senkai gate is dangerous. Mayuri decides that he will give them time and count to ten as his subordinate calls for every Shinigami to get out of town before they are killed.Bleach manga; Chapter 422, pages 1-3 Later, Mayuri begins doing regular research in Hueco Mundo.Bleach manga; Chapter 423, page 7 Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc (anime only) Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Beast Swords arc (anime only) Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (anime only) Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc Mayuri is one of two captains who didn't come to the meeting at First Division barracks.Bleach manga; Chapter 479, page 10 The Thousand-Year Blood War arc Inventions : Mayuri has developed biological bombs that he has implanted into the bodies of his own subordinates without their knowledge. By using a remote detonator he can set off the bombs which use every biological portion of the body causing devastating explosions that can seriously damage the surrounding area.Bleach manga; Chapter 120, pages 21-22''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 121, pages 4-6 .]] * : Mayuri has also developed a "regenerative serum," which can regrow limbs upon injection, and looks like some sort of green chemical. He used it to regenerate his arm when he fired it off as a grappling hook, and complained about the side-effects of pain that the serum caused. It can also be used to heal less severe injuries, such as those suffered by Uryū and Renji.Bleach manga; Chapter 122, pages 4-5 *'Gigai Specialization': One major invention is present, which is Mayuri's lieutenant and so-called "daughter," Nemu Kurotsuchi, who is the ultimate result of his Gigai and Modified Soul research. The fact that Nemu can survive toxic poisons, a pierced lung, and having all of her nutrients robbed from her is a testament to Mayuri's own skill in Gigai creation and modification.Bleach manga; Chapter 123, page 8 *'Bount Sensor': He has created a simple Bount sensor. Though not as powerful as Urahara's equivalent mod soul versions, it is far more effective once properly calibrated.Bleach anime; Episode 101 *'Zanpakutō Repair and Modification': Mayuri offers a catalogue of Zanpakutō related services that include repair and gender reassignment.Bleach Official Bootleg KaraBuri+, pages 10-11 * : He also implants opponents that escape from battle with data-gathering bacteria so as to monitor them afterwards, as was the case with Uryū during their fight. This was how he was able to counter Szayelaporro's Teatro de Titere: using the information gleaned from the bacteria he had implanted within Uryū, Mayuri was able to quickly conceive and carry out an operation to safeguard himself and his lieutenant beforehand.Bleach manga; Chapter 303, pages 11-12 *'Fake Karakura Town': One of his greatest achievements is the creation of an exact replica of Karakura Town, as he and his division are the ones responsible for its creation.Bleach manga; Chapter 315, page 6 * Mayuri has manufactured a "superhuman drug" that can slow down a person's perception of time. The drug is kept in a blue bottle by him, but also inside Nemu's body. It is able to make one second seem like 100 years for the unfortunate victim to whom it is administered. An undiluted dose of the drug causes the senses to speed up trillions of times while the relatively "slow" body fails to keep up, resulting in paralysis; on the other hand, it is implied that a diluted dose of the drug can greatly enhance the user's reaction speed. He even stated that a single droplet would have to be diluted 250,000 times to be suitable for use.Bleach manga; Chapter 305, pages 17-20 * : After rescuing Uryū from Szayelaporro, he gives Uryū a landmine he designed which is meant to be effective against Arrancar. Once its sensors pick up an Arrancar's Reiatsu, it detonates violently. Uryū subsequently used it on the Espada Yammy Llargo, with the effect of critically injuring the Arrancar in his sealed state; the explosion was very powerful.Bleach manga; Chapter 343, page 19 *'Garganta': The technique used by Hollows to move to and from Hueco Mundo. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernible pathway. Mayuri recently learned how to use this ability after researching within Las Noches.Bleach manga; Chapter 380, pages 12-19 *'Thought Inhibitor Drug': Mayuri concocts a special drug which can stop thought processes from occurring within the brain. Stored in a purple vial, it can be injected into an individual via Mayuri's Zanpakutō. This drug restricts the individual's control over all motor functions, as is the case when Kagerōza Inaba is rendered unable to evade a simple attack from Mayuri. It also can cause the individual's emotions to go out of control. This drug causes the affected individual's eyes to glow with a purple tint. *'Anti-Shadow Clothing': After realizing that the Wandenreich's invasion of the Seireitei had something to do with shadows, Mayuri created luminescent clothing for himself and Nemu to prevent the formation of shadows in his laboratory. His outfit is composed of a large robe with a spiked hood, and Nemu's takes the form of a form-fitting robe with a top hat.Bleach manga; Chapter 547, page 17 This clothing, which Mayuri refers to as , will explode if Mayuri is crushed by an object, freeing Mayuri in the process and leaving him unscathed.Bleach manga; Chapter 638, pages 9-10 * : Mayuri has developed several spherical objects with a band circling the middle and a button on one side. When activated, these spheres cause any Reishi they come into contact with to cease all activity for a specific amount of time. This allowed Mayuri to counter Bambietta Basterbine's The Explode by delaying the explosion of her Reishi bombs by three seconds.Bleach manga; Chapter 590, pages 12-13 *'Postcognition Drug': Mayuri has created a drug that bestows upon its user a . Its effect causes the user to enter a time loop in their mind during a battle; whenever they kill Mayuri, they are sent back to a certain point in time and forced to battle him again, so the only way to exit the loop is to not kill Mayuri. However, because this drug affects the hippocampus section of the brain, which governs short-term memory, going back more than ten times will cause the user to experience complete bodily paralysis for thirty seconds due to the part of their brain that controls their sense of balance temporarily shutting down.Bleach manga; Chapter 593, pages 15-16 * : Using blood samples of Gotei 13 members as a base, Mayuri has created a drug that converts all of the blood within the body of the subject to blood which Mayuri himself has developed. He used this drug to counter the effects of The Zombie by converting Giselle's blood inside her zombies to his developed blood, allowing him to take control of her zombies and use them against her.Bleach manga; Chapter 596, pages 9-11 * : Mayuri has created a machine that can amplify the users' Reiatsu, allowing them to make up for a deficit in their group should a powerful Shinigami leave. It is a large spherical device with an X-shaped lid on the front.Bleach manga; Chapter 617, page 16 *'Reiatsu-restraining Material': In order to restrain the prisoners in Muken who, for one reason or another, cannot be killed, Mayuri has invented a material capable of restraining Reiatsu. Those imprisoned in restraints of this material have their Reiatsu limited to a small area around them. Mayuri can manipulate the level at which the Reiatsu can be used by the wearer of the restraints.Bleach manga; Chapter 623, pages 5-6 This material is extremely durable, to the point where it can withstand a Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi cast by Sōsuke Aizen.Bleach manga; Chapter 622, page 14 *'Hirenkyaku Shoes': Mayuri has created shoes that allow him to perform the Quincy movement technique Hirenkyaku by gathering Reishi in the air underneath them, which he activates by pressing a button on the back of the heel. Using these, Mayuri can float a few inches above the ground, thus rendering all attacks requiring him to touch the ground useless.Bleach manga; Chapter 638, pages 11-12 By pressing a section on the top of the shoes, Mayuri can propel himself forward with a continual blast of energy from the bottom of each shoe, like a rocket; the speed he gains from this allows him to easily dodge dozens of Heilig Pfeil being fired from multiple angles in rapid succession.Bleach manga; Chapter 641, pages 5-7 * : A drug injected into the nerves of an organism which forcefully freezes any organs connected to those nerves; open eyelids will remain open, hearts will not expand or contract, and mouths will become unable to shut. The blood of the organism also coagulates, effectively killing the target. Once the drug begins to take effect, the victim's skin becomes dark in coloration. However, this can be countered if the target's skin is divided into multiple layers, which allows it to simply shed a damaged one and remain unaffected, as with Pernida Parnkgjas.Bleach manga; Chapter 641, pages 9-12, 16 }} Powers & Abilities Genius Intellect: Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the most intelligent, scientific, and inventive mind in Soul Society.Bleach Official Bootleg KaraBuri+, pages 111-112 According to Shunsui Kyōraku, if given a full day to prepare with enough information at hand, Mayuri can find a solution to any problem or obstacle.Bleach manga; Chapter 497, page 9 *'Master Scientist/Inventor': As the head of the Shinigami Research Institute, Mayuri is a talented inventor and scientist, having created a number of devices and techniques to aid him in battle. *'Master Chemist': Being the current head of the Research and Development Institute, Mayuri is an adept chemist. *'Master Strategist': Mayuri has a talent for being well prepared. He takes many precautions before engaging in personal combat with an adversary, usually studying them through his various methods. He always has a contingency plan if something doesn't work out the way he expects. Body Modification Expert: Mayuri has done extensive research on modifying bodies, and he has upgraded a variety of his own body parts to function as weapons and provide him with useful abilities. In addition, he can also restructure his own body in an extremely short period of time if necessary, such as when he rearranged the contents of his arm in order to prevent Pernida Parnkgjas from controlling it.Bleach manga; Chapter 638, page 17 * Bleach Official Character Book 3 UNMASKED, page 155: When Mayuri stabs himself with his Zanpakutō while in its sealed state, it shifts him into a liquid form. Doing so doesn't kill him, as it is a last resort technique, but instead simply leaves him unable to attack or be attacked, making it an effective escape tool. He can move around and speak in this form. He reforms after a few days, but without any of his previous body modifications.Bleach manga; Chapter 126, pages 5-7 This ability is a result of the extensive amount of experimentation he has performed on himself.Bleach Official Bootleg KaraBuri+, page 113 * : His left arm can extend out like a grappling hook. When the arm is attacked it explodes on impact, but with his regenerative serum, this is not a problem (though it does cause him serious pain).Bleach manga; Chapter 121, pages 18-19 *'Hidden Kusarigama': He is able to pull part of his ear out to form a scythe, attached to a rope-like ligament, for use as a kusarigama. It is easily as sharp as a standard Zanpakutō, and he is quite skilled in its use. * : Another one of Mayuri's abilities, likely achieved scientifically, is his ability to meld with the color and texture of the environment. He used it while attempting to track the Ryoka in Soul Society.Bleach Manga; Chapter 119, page 15 When he reveals himself, the topical camouflage flakes away. *'Organ Replacement Surgery': Most impressively, he has demonstrated the ability to replace functional internal organs with false ones, a feat he performs on himself and his lieutenant to safeguard them from injury. This particular operation is conceived of and carried out in the span of less than an hour.Bleach manga; Chapter 303, page 12 *'Tracking Expert': He has stated that he merely needs a strand of a person's hair to find them. By using a simple chemical process, he can discern the location of the person in question, using their DNA as a reference.Bleach manga; chapter 122, page 6 Zanpakutō Modification Expert: Uniquely among Shinigami, Mayuri can manually alter and improve his own Zanpakutō and its capabilities. When fighting Szayelaporro, Mayuri revealed that he had installed a self-destruct feature in his Bankai that would activate should it attack him.Bleach manga; Chapter 305, pages 15-16 During his skirmish with a zombified Hitsugaya, he displayed the use of a sensor installed in the hilt of his Zanpakutō that allowed it to automatically counter all sword attacks aimed toward him.Bleach manga; Chapter 593, page 5 After paralyzing Kenpachi with Ashisogi Jizō, Kyōdo Yon in order to incapacitate him, Mayuri noted that he would have to upgrade the paralyzing power of his Shikai after seeing that Kenpachi could still move his eyes.Bleach manga; Chapter 637, page 2 Most notably, however, Mayuri used the information he gained on Pernida Parnkgjas during their battle to create an alternate form of his Bankai in order to counter the latter's The Compulsory.Bleach manga; Chapter 639, pages 9-12 Arrancar Resurrection: Mayuri has found a way to bring deceased Arrancar back to life with their personalities''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 591, pages 57 and fighting skills''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 591, pages 14-19 intact; he can also fully restore any body parts they lost in death, such as with the revived Luppi Antenor, who lost the upper half of his body to Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.Bleach manga; Chapter 590, pages 16-17 However, these resurrected Arrancar are not innately loyal to Mayuri, so he keeps them in line by electrically shocking the pain centers in their brains.Bleach manga; Chapter 591, pages 7-8 He has also integrated his Postcognition Drug into the bodily fluids of all his resurrected Arrancar, so if their opponents come into contact with these fluids, they will experience the effects of the drug.Bleach manga; Chapter 596, pages 6-7 Expert Swordsman: While not as proficient in swordsmanship as some other captains, Mayuri is skilled enough to hold his own in a fight. His expertise with his Zanpakutō lies in his effective use of its abilities while in either Shikai or Bankai, rather than his swordsmanship skill. He relies on those abilities, or his pre-planned strategies, rather than actually engaging in melee combat with his opponent. Mayuri seems to be ambidextrous, as he wields his Zanpakutō in his right hand and his scythe-ear in his left (often simultaneously). During the Bount Invasion, he briefly wields his Zanpakutō left-handed as well. Kidō Expert: According to Shunsui Kyōraku, Mayuri is one of the most proficient Kidō users in Soul Society.Bleach anime; Episode 71, only takes place in the anime. He can release a destructive form of Kidō silently from the palms of his hands, blasting holes through walls,Bleach manga; Chapter 93, page 8''Bleach'' anime; Episode 29 and instantly create Kidō barriers to protect others.Bleach manga; Chapter 592, page 15 Shunpo Expert: Mayuri is able to easily outmaneuver Uryū Ishida's use of the Quincy Hirenkyaku technique to set up a surprise attack. Mayuri points out that Shunpo can counter Hirenkyaku but that it's very tiring for him.Bleach manga, Chapter 122, pages 9-11 He was not fast enough to outmaneuver with Uryū when he entered the Quincy: Letzt Stil, making him at least an expert in the technique.Bleach manga; Chapter 125, pages 9-10 He dodged a close-range attack from Tōshirō Hitsugaya by moving behind him almost instantaneously.Bleach manga; Chapter 592, pages 10-11 Great Spiritual Power: As the captain of the 12th Division, Mayuri boasts a great amount of spiritual power. He is noted to having amazing spiritual pressure that comes in waves.Bleach manga; Chapter 122, page 6 His Reiatsu is pink. Enhanced Endurance: Mayuri has a high tolerance towards pain and damage. In his fight against Uryū Ishida, he survived having almost half of his body blown off.Bleach manga; Chapter 126, page 2 Zanpakutō Ashisogi Jizō redirects here. For the manifested spirit that appears in the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc and the Beast Swords arc see Ashisogi Jizō (Zanpakutō spirit). : Mayuri's Zanpakutō's guard is wrapped in cloth, and has several spiky protrusions sticking out right below the blade, which appear to resemble leaves. The hilt is pink. Unlike most Shinigami, his Zanpakutō's sheath hangs directly in front of him, instead of to his side as they are commonly worn, through a visibly modified hook on the end of the hilt of Ashisogi Jizō. At some point during the Quincy Blood War, Mayuri installed a sensor in Ashisogi Jizō that causes it to automatically block all sword attacks within two feet of his body at an angle of sixty degrees or greater. *'Shikai': Ashisogi Jizō's Shikai command is . Ashisogi Jizō's blade glows and transforms into a deformed trident with curved, serpentine blades. The middle blade is straighter and longer than the side blades, and appears to ascend from the guard, which is shaped like a baby's head with hands clasped in prayer (as Ksitigarbha is depicted), all mounted on his sword's normal hilt, which has more ornate spiky protrusions on either side, which resemble golden leaves right below the guard. The baby's mouth secretes a poisonous vapor in this form at various intervals.Bleach manga; chapter 122, page 12 :Shikai Special Ability: The weapon works like the venom of a spider bite; when an opponent is stabbed by Ashisogi Jizō, it severs the brain signals controlling the neural impulses for movement in the limbs of the victim, regardless of where they were struck. But, unlike regular paralysis, the pain receptors and nerve endings are unaffected by the weapon, so the victim can still feel pain, even in a paralyzed limb.Bleach manga; Chapter 123, pages 10-11 Healing the stab wound does not immediately remove the inflicted paralysis. :* : Mayuri sticks his finger in one eye of the baby's head, causing it to begin leaking a dark fluid while the baby opens its mouth to scream. Anyone not of Mayuri's blood who hears the scream for 4 seconds will be paralyzed. In contrast to Ashisogi Jizō's initial ability of only stopping the neural impulses of movement, this technique completely paralyzes everything biological.Bleach manga; Chapter 636, pages 13-14 *'Bankai': : The baby's head on the guard opens its mouth as it produces a giant creature with the body of a caterpillar in a red cape, with a grotesque golden baby's head and arms, and a silver halo hovering around its head. Near the back of the halo are 4 bells, 2 on each side. While in this form, his Zanpakutō returns to its sealed state. It emits its own red Reiatsu upon release.Bleach manga; Chapter 125, pages 14-15 In this state, the creature seems to follow Mayuri's verbal commands. While using his Bankai, Mayuri's Reiatsu turns red.Bleach anime; Episode 44 Mayuri achieved Bankai with the fifth Nemuri he created, which he used to modify his Zanpakutō.Bleach manga; Chapter 642, page 3 :Bankai Special Ability: The creature breathes a poisonous derivative of Mayuri's blood, which is lethal to anyone who breathes it, aside from Mayuri and Nemu. The poison spreads through an area of about 200 meters around Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō,Bleach manga; Chapter 639, page 9 and it is almost impossible to avoid. The poison of Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō poison is very potent, as Szayelaporro's body started to break down immediately after it was introduced.Bleach manga; Chapter 125, page 15''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 303, pages 16-17 The poison has an antidote, which Nemu keeps behind her lieutenant's badge, and which Mayuri keeps on his person.Bleach manga; Chapter 126, pages 8-9 Mayuri can change the composition of the poison as well, ensuring that no foolproof antidote can ever be manufactured to cure it, and no immunity is developed against it.Bleach manga; Chapter 304, page 13 Even if the opponent does not breathe, the poison will still enter their body. :*'Retractable Blades': Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō can produce numerous blades which extend from its chest, allowing it to run through and skewer opponents. This, when used simultaneously with its poison, makes Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō particularly lethal to anyone that cannot keep a safe distance, which is in turn difficult due to its immense size. In addition to creating blades, it can also apparently devour an opponent after it charges into them, killing them.Bleach manga; Chapter 125, pages 16-17''Bleach'' anime; Episode 199(Unnamed) :*'Self-Destruct Protocol': Mayuri has also physically modified Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō itself so it will self-destruct and return to its sealed state if it attacks him.(Unnamed) *'Modified Bankai': : When necessary, Mayuri can unleash a modified form of his Bankai. This takes the form of an enormous, heavyset, purple-skinned baby dressed in a golden loincloth and with golden fabric covering its pectorals. It has a misshapen head with completely white eyes, which is adorned with two branches of a balancing scale holding up large boxes, and its belly has a large vertical gash in the center with kanji written on either side. The baby rests on a large pile of thick umbilical cords with visible veins.Bleach manga; Chapter 639, pages 10-12 :Modified Bankai Special Ability: Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō: Matai Fukuin Shōtai can create modified versions of Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō with the information and data Mayuri sends to it; this allows it to counter specific abilities of Mayuri's opponents.Bleach manga; Chapter 639, page 12 :*'Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō (Surface Nerves)': When fighting Pernida Parnkgjas, Mayuri had his modified Bankai create a Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō that had nerves on the surface of its body, which, though causing it intense pain simply by coming into contact with the air and ground, allowed it to effectively resist Pernida's The Compulsory because its nerves were divided into 70000 layers, each one of which would peel off if Pernida's nerves entered it.Bleach manga; Chapter 639, pages 12-15 Weakness Zanpakutō Poison Repelling/Reiatsu Repellent (Bankai): It is possible for a person to remain unaffected by the poison by repelling it with a sufficient amount of Reiatsu. Anyone within the vicinity of the person repelling the poison will also be unaffected. Appearances in Other Media *Mayuri appears in most Bleach games. Some newer games like Versus Crusade and Heat the Soul 7 have him playable in his Hueco Mundo appearance.Bleach video game; Bleach: Heat the Soul 7 * In Bleach: Brave Souls, several different versions of Mayuri are playable. His Thousand Year Blood War arc version draws from his appearance during the battle against Pernida Parnkgjas, where he moves around with his Hirenkyaku Shoes and his special consists of him activating his Modified Bankai, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō: Matai Fukuin Shōtai, which unleashes a new Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō that attacks his enemies. *Some games also have him with Nemu as an assist character. *Mayuri features on an edition of the Fourth Session of Bleach Beat Collection, where Ryusei Nakao performs two of the three tracks as Mayuri: "Not Perfect is Good" and "12," the latter of which is a duet with Nemu. *Mayuri features in the third volume of Bleach "B" Station's second season and volume three of season four. *BuriCon - Bleach Concept Covers features Mayuri performing "Life is Like a Boat" alongside Nemu. Censorship *The four 12th Divison members being killed by the bombs set by Mayuri is drastically toned down in the anime. In the manga, after the first explosion, organs can be seen flying through the air, splattering blood on the remaining three squad members.Bleach manga; Chapter 120, page 18 The body of the squad member expressing confusion to Mayuri was shown imploding before him and the other two 12th Divison members are engulfed in the second explosion.Bleach manga; Chapter 120, page 19''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 121, page 3 In the anime, the organs weren't shown, and the confused squad member's body didn't implode and was simply engulfed by the second explosion. Bleach anime; Episode 43 *When Mayuri uses his Jabarakaina, blood is shown coming from his arm.Bleach manga; Chapter 121, page 17 In the anime however, the blood isn't visible. *The process at which Mayuri's Hojiku-Zai restores his arm in the anime differs from the manga. In the manga, his arm goes through a reformation process.Bleach manga; Chapter 122, pages 4-5 In the anime however, Mayuri's arm simply grows back, glowing with Reiryoku. *Mayuri stabbing Uryū with Ashisogi Jizō is toned down in the anime. In the manga, Mayuri stabs Uryū's arm and removes it,Bleach manga; Chapter 123, page 11 while in the anime, Uryū's arm isn't shown being stabbed, and Ashisogi Jizō isn't shown being removed from the latter's arm. *In the anime, after stabbing Uryū with Ashisogi Jizō, and remembering that Nemu is paralyzed, he attempts to stab her with his Zanpakutō, instead of stomping on her again like he did in the manga.Bleach manga; Chapter 123, page 12 *Mayuri after being shot by one of Uryū's Quincy: Letzt Stil arrows was drastically toned down in the anime. In the manga, Mayuri was engulfed in flames and was missing his left arm and shoulder, his left pupil, and a portion of his left side.Bleach manga; Chapter 125, pages 11-12 In the anime however, he was only missing most of his left arm.Bleach anime; Episode 44 *Mayuri after being grievously wounded after Uryū destroyed Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō was drastically toned down in the anime. In the manga, bone remnants were shown in the hole in Mayuri's body,Bleach manga; Chapter 126, page 2 whereas in the anime, the remnants are not visible. *When Mayuri performs Nikushibuki and starts to liquefy, his eyeballs aren't shown in the anime as they are in the manga.Bleach manga; Chapter 126, page 6 *The small, slatted portcullises with multiple earrings in place of where Mayuri's ears would be aren't visible in the anime as they are in the manga. Instead, they are obscured by strands of Mayuri's hair.Bleach anime; Episode 61 Also in the anime, the scars that are on his lower body are not shown, leaving the ones on his upper body visible. Trivia *''"Researcher with killing intent."'' - Tite Kubo *Mayuri runs a cosmetic surgery clinic called .Bleach Official Bootleg, page 170 *Kurotsuchi's last name is one of the few Shinigami names in Bleach which uses kanji based on the meaning of the name and not the sound. "Kurotsuchi" means "black soil" (kuro - black; tsuchi - soil), as does the kanji (涅). However, the kanji's reading (pronunciation) is "ne" or "so". *Tite Kubo has stated in an interview that Mayuri is his favorite character to draw.Bleach Official Character Book SOULs *Mayuri came 28th place in the third Popularity poll and 48th place on the fourth. *In the Bleach best bout poll Mayuri's fight with Uryū came in eighth place.Bleach manga; Chapter 392, page 1 *According to the Bleach: Official Character Book SOULs, Mayuri's Zanpakutō has the ability to turn whatever it cuts to liquid. However, this has yet to be shown in the manga or the anime. *In its manga debut, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō appeared to be wielding a sword. However any time Mayuri has subsequently activated it, the sword has been missing.Bleach manga; Chapter 125, page 16 *He writes a surprisingly popular serial article for the Seireitei Communication titled which has information about the practical uses of medicine as well as detailed reports about nearly every experiment he undertakes.Bleach Official Bootleg KaraBuri+, page 111 *The term Jizō is part of the Japanese name for the bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha. *In manga, one of the four 12th Divison members was killed in the first explosion caused by the bombs set by Mayuri, before the other three were killed in the second explosion.Bleach manga; Chapter 120, pages 18-19 In the anime however, three of the four members were killed in the first explosion instead, leaving only one member being killed in the second explosion. 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